Heavy Seas Beer TropiCannon Citrus IPA

What the brewers say

“We’ve amped up the citrus by swapping Centennial and Palisade hops for Amarillo and even more Simcoe. We’ve introduced dried grapefruit, orange, and lemon peel in the brewing process and added mango, blood orange, and more grapefruit post-fermentation.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Massive citrus zest, with big grapefruit and underlying tangerine and lemon—it’s a lot like Squirt soda. Oily citrus and a candy-like sweetness. Behind the fruit are toasty and bready malt, with a touch of caramel. And buried under that are any hops aromas.”

Flavor: “Mandarin orange with a grapefruit kicker—comes through like a grapefruit orange soda. It’s sweet, dry, and slightly acidic. Some cherry esters and bready malt to remind you it’s beer, but the citrus is so dominant the hops are playing second fiddle, aside from the bitterness that lingers into the finish. The citrus rind finish lingers.”

Overall: “This is like pouring an IPA and a grapefruit radler into a glass. The fruit is lovely, but almost soda-like—still, it’s enjoyable. It’s like they asked themselves how much citrus they could cram into it and still call it a beer.”